


Good can get even better

by tangiblewhimsy



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-24
Updated: 2012-07-24
Packaged: 2017-11-10 16:12:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/468208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tangiblewhimsy/pseuds/tangiblewhimsy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a reason why some rituals and gestures have emotional significance attached to them. Sometimes it just takes Nino a little while to get why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good can get even better

**Author's Note:**

> For the 2011 October fanfiction contest at the [shoneenclub](http://shoneenclub.livejournal.com). First place winner.

Sho wasn't unhappy with his life. Quite the opposite, really. Every morning he woke up to a face that made him smile, and almost every night he managed to be home in time to go to bed with the owner of that same face. A lot of people got together and a lot of people got married, but Sho was pretty sure that there weren't a whole lot that got to spend more than half their life with their best friend. (And even if there were, Sho would ignore the numbers because all that mattered was that what he had was special.)

He wasn't sure why he started looking at rings. Sho didn't have any regrets, any secret resentments. For as much as he'd thought about getting married and having children growing up, he was surprisingly fine with those plans not working out. So when he was out, strolling along the glass cases and peering inside intently, he wasn't really shopping, just... Looking.

Wedding bands for men seemed to have come a long way, at least in Sho's opinion. He wasn't any expert on jewelry, but there seemed to be a much wider variety than the run of the mill silver, gold or platinum bands. Now there were things like tungsten and palladium and black titanium. Different hues, combinations of colors and shapes. Some even had gems in them, mostly tiny diamonds set directly in the band. Each setting was very masculine, but each was beautiful enough not to be in any way out of place at a wedding ceremony.

Sometimes Sho would do just a little more than look. He might ask to try one on, just to feel the weight of it on his finger. He wasn't a guy that wore a lot of accessories, the sensation was unfamiliar and a little strange. Sometimes, Sho thought that it might be nice to have one though. Not to go with a wedding, or anything like that. Just the ring, and just for him. He wouldn't force a matching one on Nino (and given the price of even one ring, Sho could imagine that Nino would reject the idea of buying a second one on principle alone). But Sho couldn't help thinking that it might be nice. It just seemed silly to buy one for himself.

 

It took a while for Nino to notice. In fact, Nino couldn't say with any certainty when it had even started. No matter the origins of the behavior, however, Nino could see it now. The way that Sho would slow down as they passed the occasional jewelry boutique or how he seemed to fixate on Jun's knuckles in an absent sort of way when they were all backstage. Sho had even started lingering over the occasional bridal advertisement in magazines while flipping through the pages.

At first Nino had an internal panic attack, thinking that Sho might be planning to do something ridiculous like propose. Some people would have thought it 'cute', but Nino liked what they had now. He felt deeply for Sho and was committed to him. He didn't get how he was under some obligation to demonstrate it to the world in some grossly overrated ritual that had no impact on their relationship or how they lived their lives. Especially since that's all it would be in their case: a ritual.

As weeks bled into months, however, and Sho hadn't started dropping any hints or making any plans that Nino could decipher, he began to relax. As he relaxed, however, he also noticed that the interest didn't really go away. Sho wasn't obsessed or anything. He wasn't always looking at wedding-related things. Nino noticed after a while that it really only seemed to be rings. No flowers or tuxedos or honeymoon packages. Just... rings.

 

Sho wasn't sure how he'd let himself get so distracted. Ah, well, that was a lie. Between rehearsing the dance for the new PV and running back and forth doing promotions for his new movie in addition to the normal studio shoots there wasn't exactly a lot of time to spare thinking about anything other than the essentials (namely breathing and eating, he could sleep when he was dead). It was just that usually they were better at staying on top of these things as a group. Although it was sad to think that in almost 20 years together he would still depend on reminders from his friends about his lover's birthday.

Sho's fingers were fumbling with his tie, distractedly failing to slip the silk strip into the fancy knot it was supposed to make. He was too busy trying to remember whether or not they had time to go out for dinner together, something quiet but sweet and special. Sho really felt like he should try to pick up a gift too, even though Nino would insist it wasn't necessary. Maybe something easy, like flowers? Yeah, actually, flowers might be nice. Something simple and pretty but softly sweet smelling—

“What is that?” Sho asked curiously, blinking at his reflection in the mirror as his eyes fixated on a little velvet box Nino was attempting to balance on his shoulder.

The slope of Sho's shoulders was not improved by shoulder pads and Nino had to press his index finger to the top of the box gently to prevent it from falling over. That would have been clumsy and really anticlimactic.

“It's for you!” Nino told Sho brightly. Sho could see the way lines crinkled around his eyes, deeper than they had been just a few years ago but always welcome because he only saw them when Nino really smiled.

“But... It's your birthday!” Sho protested with a laugh, turning to accept the box. “This is supposed to work the other way... around...” Sho's voice trailed off into silence as he opened the box, lips parting in shock.

“It's not a diamond,” Nino said firmly, jamming his hands in his pockets once Sho had taken the box. “Because it's _not_ an engagement ring.”

“ _Nino_ ,” Sho breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the iridescent band practically glowing inside the box.

Nino had been pointedly not looking at Sho, just in case he didn't like it. He'd spent a long time pretending he wasn't looking for anything special and an even longer time pretending he wasn't going to buy it. Nino had just kept coming back to this one, thinking that it was a little off-beat but that suited Sho perfectly. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Sho didn't like it. But when Sho didn't say anything for a long pause, Nino finally chanced a look up.

Sho's eyes were shining and it wasn't the kind of face someone made when they disliked something. Nino was afraid to say anything, though. He wasn't great with words, not in situations like this. He didn't want to make a joke and suddenly ruin this moment for Sho, not when it was something he'd deserved for a long, long time.

“Here,” Nino spoke softly, pulling his hands from his jacket and tugging the ring from its box gently and taking Sho's left hand. It was trembling the littlest bit and Nino could appreciate the sensation because it felt about the same as what his heart was doing. Slipping the ring on Sho's finger, Nino continued to hold Sho's hand tightly.

Sho continued to stare. The white gold and mother-of-pearl band was lighter than the tungsten, so much brighter than the titanium. Even in the dimness of their bedroom it picked up light and was just beautiful.

“You!” Sho burst into a laugh even as a few tears leaked from his eyes. Leaning forward, he closed the distance between them and pressed a warm, adoring kiss to Nino's lips.

“Mng, salty,” Nino pretended to complain against Sho's mouth when they finally parted. Sho laughed even more loudly.

“Shut up,” he said and kissed Nino again and again until Nino finally slipped his arms around Sho's waist and hugged him back.

 

Nino wasn't unhappy with is life. And every time he saw Sho smiling softly at his left hand he had a reminder that he never would be.


End file.
